How Sinus Infections Lead to Tooth Abscess in Children

Sinus infections, viral and bacterial, can lead to a variety of secondary health complications in children who suffer from them. When not managed or treated immediately, a sinus infection can evolve into complications with the upper respiratory system, complications with the lungs, and can even adversely affect oral tooth health. If your child has been diagnosed with any type of sinus infection, it is important to understand how a tooth abscess may be a risk of concern.

Abscesses of the tooth are a very painful health complication that affects both adults as well as children. When an abscess of the tooth develops, there is nerve damage within the canal and root of the tooth that causes infection and blisters or boils to manifest in the gums. While some degree of tooth pain is expected with a sinus infection, due to sinus pressure, the extended tooth pain to the individual teeth may be a sign that a nerve infection in developing.

When seeing a pediatrician about the issues with your child's sinus infection, it is prudent to ask about the need for examination of the teeth. While a pediatrician may evaluate your child's teeth, it may also be prudent to ask the pediatrician about a referral to a dentist who can provide you with guidance and further evaluation. In many cases, the dentist may opt to only evaluate your child's teeth after the sinus infection is resolved.

As the parent of a child who has a sinus infection, if your child has been prescribed antibiotics to treat the infection it is important that the antibiotics be completely finished. In addition, because infections of the mouth are different than infections of the sinuses, the antibiotics prescribed for a sinus infection may not work to fight an already-present tooth abscess and nerve infection that is developing. So, after finishing antibiotics for the sinus infection, you can expect that a different type of antibiotic may be needed to start treatment for the abscess tooth complication.

Many tooth health complications are easily treated when caught early. While we work our best to teach our children how to properly care for their teeth, there are times when we can not control an infection risk. With sinus infections that are quite severe, there is a great risk that your child can develop a tooth abscess for which antibiotics and further dental care may be needed. Always inspect your child's oral health as part of treatment for a sinus infection.

Sources: Complete Guide to Dental Health, by Jay Friedman